• Executive Promotion: Patrick Söderlund, founder of Embark Studios, is now Executive Chairman of Nexon.
  • Creative Control: Söderlund will oversee global game development and creative strategy, while CEO Junghun Lee manages business operations.
  • Arc Raiders Momentum: The promotion follows the massive success of Arc Raiders, which hit nearly 1 million concurrent players in January 2025.
  • Strategic Pivot: A full "transformation" plan for Nexon will be shared at the Capital Markets Briefing on March 31.

The Creative Kingmaker: Söderlund Takes the Reins

Nexon isn't playing around. After watching Arc Raiders explode into a certified juggernaut—boasting nearly 1 million concurrent players and giving Bungie’s Marathon some serious "flop sweat"—the parent company has decided to hand the creative keys to the man behind the curtain. Patrick Söderlund isn't just the guy who founded Embark; he’s now the Executive Chairman of Nexon with "broad authority over the company’s long-term strategy [and] creative direction."

Our take? This is a massive power play. Söderlund has been a fixture in the industry since the DICE and EA days, and he knows how to scale. By splitting the duties—letting Söderlund handle the "fun" while Nexon CEO Junghun Lee handles the "funds"—Nexon is positioning itself to actually use the massive war chest of IP it’s been sitting on.

From DICE to Dominance

Söderlund’s resume reads like a history of modern shooters. From co-founding Refraction Games to leading DICE and serving as EA’s Chief Design Officer, he’s a veteran who understands the meta of game development. He founded Embark in 2018 with the explicit goal of changing how games are made because, in his words, they couldn't compete "with the likes of EA and Activision" head-on.

That gamble paid off. Arc Raiders didn't just launch; it dominated, putting up numbers—6 million weekly active users—that put it on par with top-tier MMOs. According to Lee, this is exactly why Söderlund was the only choice for the role: "He’s built studios, attracted the industry’s best people to work with him, and shipped massive global hits. That’s exactly what Nexon needs right now."

What This Means for the Nexon Catalog

Söderlund himself is bullish on the move, noting that "Nexon has all the assets to unleash dramatic growth—incredibly talented people, iconic franchises, large and committed player communities." We expect to see a significant shift in how Nexon’s legacy IPs are handled, moving away from stagnant live-service models toward the high-fidelity, innovative development style Embark is known for.

The March 31 Milestone

While the appointment is effective immediately, we won't see the full roadmap for this "transformation" until the Capital Markets Briefing on March 31. Söderlund will continue to serve as CEO of Embark while juggling his new Nexon responsibilities. It’s a heavy lift, but if he can replicate the Arc Raiders lightning-in-a-bottle across Nexon’s entire global portfolio, the industry’s established giants should start looking over their shoulders.

We’ve seen plenty of "former EA execs" move into leadership roles elsewhere, but Söderlund is different. He’s a developer at heart who actually delivered a win in 2025’s crowded extraction shooter market. If he brings that same "discipline and focus" to the rest of Nexon, the next few years are going to be very interesting for the PC and console space.